Known solutions in the field of valve controls require mechanical actuations by hand within the valve control device or complex wire-bound or wireless data transmission techniques (in particular radio or infrared are known in this field), or are based on conventional operating possibilities such as the actuation of buttons covered by a covering foil.
The opening of a housing or the removal of a housing part to reach the interior of a valve control device is complicated and time-consuming. Wire-bound techniques are expensive for the typically required high protection demands. The wireless data transmission, e.g. via a radio modem, is also too expensive for most applications. The operation via buttons requires reliable and thus expensive control panels which have to be supplied with electric power.
German utility model DE 20 2009 012 183 U1 proposes a new type of contactless operating concept which does not require expensive radio transmission. A mobile hand-held actuating apparatus comprises a magnet arrangement adapted to a magnetic field sensor arrangement of the valve control device. The hand-held actuating apparatus is brought and, if necessary, moved in proximity to the valve control device. Depending on the orientation or movement (in particular on the direction of movement) of the magnets of the magnet arrangement relative to the sensors of the magnetic field sensor arrangement, the magnetic field sensor arrangement generates a signal which is characteristic of the respective orientation and/or movement. In this way, different signals can be generated in a contactless manner in the valve control device using the hand-held actuating apparatus. The signals are associated with different commands defined in the control electronics.
It is an object of the invention to expand the known reliable and comfortable contactless operation of a valve control device such that more complex operating and adjusting actions can be carried out in a simple manner.